Abstract: The present application discloses proteins or peptides and methods of using such proteins or peptides to evaluate the immune status of a patient. In one embodiment, proteins or peptides may be used to detect endogenous calnexin specific CD4 T cells. In one preferred embodiment, the proteins or peptides may comprise peptide-MHCII tetramers (pMHC tetramers).

Abstract: A method for producing an examination reagent includes adding a helper ligand to an unfolded receptor protein in an initial solution so as to provide a pre-solution of the examination reagent with a folded receptor protein. The folded receptor protein comprises a bonded helper ligand which can be exchanged with an examination peptide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to protein constructs that comprise one or more peptides, proteins, factors, compounds or other components as further described herein that are linked to and/or are linked to each other via a helical polymeric backbone. The constructs of the invention are suitable for administration to a human or animal body and can be used for pharmaceutical purposes, for example, for immunotherapy, such as for treating cancer and for other immunological applications, as well as for other therapeutic, prophylactic and/or diagnostic purposes.

Abstract: Novel compounds carrying ligands capable of binding to counter receptors on relevant target cells are disclosed. The compounds possess a number of advantageous features, rendering them very suitable for a wide range of applications, including use as detection systems, detection of relevant target cells as well as a number of other methods. In particular, novel MHC complexes comprising one or more MHC molecules are disclosed. The affinity and specificity of the MHC-peptide complexes are surprisingly high. The possibility of presenting to the target cells a plurality of MHC-peptide complexes makes the MHC complexes according to the present invention an extremely powerful tool e.g. in the field of therapy and diagnosis. The invention generally relates to the field of therapy, including therapeutic methods and therapeutic compositions. Also comprised by the present invention is the sample-mounted use of MHC complexes and MHC multimers.

Abstract: The present invention relates to peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods. In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention furthermore relates to tumor-associated T-cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that can for example serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, or to stimulate T cells ex vivo and transfer into patients. Peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides as such, can also be targets of antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors, and other binding molecules.

Abstract: Recombinant polypeptides comprising a DR?1 domain, an antigenic peptide, and a linker sequence are disclosed. The linker sequence comprises a first glycine-serine spacer, a thrombin cleavage site and a second glycine-serine spacer. Further disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the recombinant polypeptides, methods of treating inflammatory disease using said pharmaceutical compositions, and expression constructs comprising nucleic acids that encode the recombinant polypeptides.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for the creation of peptide antigens comprising epitopes with at least a first modification comprising a shortened or lengthened amino acid side chain. By extension or shortening of the side chain with CH3/CH2 groups, for example, made by computer assisted modeling of the tumor antigen (peptide) bound in the MHC-I-groove, immunogenicity can be improved with minimal modification of adjacent tertiary structure, thereby avoiding cross-reactivity. Provided by the invention are methods of creating such antigens, as well as methods for therapeutic or prophylactic treatment of various conditions comprising administration of the antigens.

Abstract: The present invention concerns compositions and methods of use of humanized anti-HLA-DR antibodies. In preferred embodiments, the antibodies induce apoptosis and inhibit proliferation of lymphoma cells without inducing CDC or ADCC. In more preferred embodiments, the humanized anti-HLA-DR antibodies bind to the same epitope of HLA-DR as, or compete for binding to HLA-DR with, a murine L243 antibody. Most preferably, the humanized anti-HLA-DR antibody exhibits a higher affinity for HLA-DR than the parental murine antibody. The humanized HLA-DR antibody is of use for therapy of various diseases such as cancer, autoimmune disease or immune dysregulatory function, and is of particular use for therapy of B cell lymphomas and leukemias. In most preferred embodiments, the humanized anti-HLA-DR antibody is capable of inducing at least partial remission of lymphomas that are resistant to other B cell antibodies, such as rituximab.

Abstract: The present invention relates to immunotherapeutic peptides and their use in immunotherapy, in particular the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention discloses tumor-associated T-helper cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions which stimulate anti-tumor immune responses. In particular, the composition of the peptides of the present invention can be used in vaccine compositions for eliciting anti-tumor immune responses against gastric cancers (GC).

Abstract: Disclosed are: a method for activating a helper T cell, which comprises the step of adding a WT1 peptide to an antigen-presenting cell to activate the helper T cell, wherein the WT1 peptide is capable of binding to any one selected from an HLA-DRB1*1501 molecule, an HLA-DPB1*0901 molecule and an HLA-DPB1*0501 molecule; a composition for use in the method; a therapeutic and/or prophylactic method for cancer by activating a helper T cell; a pharmaceutical composition for use in the therapeutic and/or prophylactic method; and others.

Abstract: An industrial preparation of natural killer cells (NKs) is produced by: using umbilical cord blood and peripheral blood from legitimate sources as raw materials, obtaining stem cells by a method for extracting and separating karyocytes, or using FICOLL® or PERCOLL® density gradient media centrifugation to isolate and screen out karyocytes; diluting the above-mentioned karyocytes with cell culture medium, adding interferon, interleukin, CD3 antibody, and human albumin, loading them together into a bioreactor for perfusion culture, and then performing multiplication culture; the passage number of natural killer cells from multiplication culture is no less than 8, and the culture time is no less than 4 weeks; the markers of the natural killer cells obtained after the multiplication culture are CD3?\CD56+, CD16+, CD57+, and CD8+, wherein CD16+/CD56+?15%, CD3?/CD56+?50%, and CD8+/CD57+?8%; then preparing an injection with a certain concentration using the cell suspension obtained by above-mentioned method.

Abstract: This disclosure provides methods of making functionalized PEG iron oxide nanoparticles.

Abstract: Multispecific proteins that bind and specifically redirect NK cells to lyse a target cell of interest are provided without non-specific activation of NK cells in absence of target cells. The proteins have utility in the treatment of disease, notably cancer or infectious disease.

Abstract: Peptide vaccines against cancer are described herein. In particular, epitope peptides derived from the UBE2T that elicit CTLs are provided. Isolated antigen-presenting cells with CTL inducibility and CTLs that target such peptides, as well as methods for inducing the antigen-presenting cell, or CTL are also provided. The present invention further provides pharmaceutical compositions containing such epitope peptides derived from UBE2T or polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides as active ingredients. Furthermore, the present invention provides methods for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of (i.e., preventing) cancers (tumors), and/or the prevention of a postoperative recurrence thereof, as well as methods for inducing CTLs, methods for inducing anti-tumor immunity, using the epitope peptides derived from UBE2T, polynucleotides encoding the peptides, or antigen-presenting cells presenting the peptides, or the pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention.

Abstract: The invention relates to a specialized subpopulation of natural killer cells that have enhanced effector functions and the potential to kill malignant tumor cells or infected cells when the natural killer cells are exposed to an antibody bound to the tumor cells or the infected cells.

Abstract: The present invention relates to peptides, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods. In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention furthermore relates to tumor-associated cytotoxic T cell (CTL) peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses. The present invention relates to 95 novel peptide sequences and their variants derived from HLA class I molecules of human tumor cells that can be used in vaccine compositions for eliciting anti-tumor immune responses.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a soluble negative control MHC multimer comprising a nonsense peptide that binds the MHC protein efficiently, but that does not support binding of the resultant MHC-peptide complex to the desired T Cell Receptor. The nonsense peptide is designed to i) have a length enabling binding to the MHC allele in question, ii) have appropriate amino acids at relevant anchor positions which anchor the nonsense peptide to the peptide-binding groove of the MHC, iii) have amino acids outside the anchor positions that do not support binding to a T Cell Receptor, and iv) have an amino acid sequence that is different from the linear sequence of any naturally occurring peptide.

Abstract: Some aspects of this invention are based on the recognition that reversible protein multimers in which monomeric proteins are conjugated to a carrier molecule via chelation complex bonds are stable under physiological conditions and can be dissociated in a controlled manner under physiological, nontoxic conditions. Accordingly, such protein multimers are useful for a variety of in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo application for research, diagnostics, and therapy. Some aspect of this invention provide reversible MHC protein multimers, and methods of using such multimers in the detection and/or isolation of specific T-cells or T-cell populations. Because reversible MHC multimers can efficiently be dissociated, the time of MHC binding to T-cell receptors, and, thus, T-cell receptor-mediated T-cell activation can be minimized.

Abstract: The invention describes new peptides containing epitopes recognized by CD4+ natural killer T (NKT) cells for increasing activity for use in infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, immune reaction to administration of allofactors, allergic diseases, therapy of tumors, prevention of graft rejection and prevention of immunization against viral proteins used in gene therapy or gene vaccination.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel methods and materials for efficiently treating patients having an HLA-B*0702 phenotype, based on peptides representing shared epitopes of tumor antigens. In particular, the invention relates to a method for identifying a HLA-B*0702-restricted peptide which can trigger a cytotoxic response against several antigens from one single multigenic family, and to several such epitopes.